There are a number of biomarkers of liver injury available in the art, including, for example, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Liver injury is a major contributor to morbidity in the U.S. and elsewhere and can be caused by many factors. One significant factor is the ingestion of acetaminophen at dosage levels above those recommended. Additional liver injuries are caused by ischemia or reperfusion, abdominal surgery, hemorrhagic and septic shock, other trauma to the abdomen, liver transplantation, and liver cancer.
The known markers have not been entirely satisfactory, either because they are not sufficiently sensitive or not sufficiently specific or both. The present invention remedies this by introducing 14 novel and sensitive markers that may be used alone or in combinations as panels or in combination with known biomarkers.
Any documents cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety, as are any amino acid sequences or nucleotide sequences that are referenced and known in the art. Thus, the proteins listed as markers and the nucleotide sequences encoding them are hereby incorporated by reference.